Bed warmer



E. BAGNALL June 19, 1945.

BED WARMER Filed Jan. 18, 1943 f I Y l I l l Edwin Ba Patented June 19, 1945 s UNITED` STATES BED WARMER EdwinBagnall, Minneapolis, Minn. ApplicationJanuary 18, 1943,"` Serial No.` 472:,741

` e-,claime invention relates to bed" warmers andhas forarr object to provide a bed warmer in which thehazardofre is entirely eliminated.

` Another object of the-invention resides in providing` aA bedl warmer inV which air heated from withoutI is directedintothe bedi Astill fur-ther object ofthe invention resides in providing a system oftubes or conduits adapted to be enclosed in the bed and through which heated air is directed to the various portions of the bed.

Another object ofthe invention resides in providing a feed tube connected to a source of heated air and in further providing a plurality of distributing tubes connected to the feed tubes and adapted to distribute the heated air tovarious portions of the bed.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a bed warmer which may be incorporated in a blanket-used on the bed. l

An object of the invention resides in providing a device which may be easily and quickly set in operation and which will quickly and effectively produce the desired results.

Other objects of the invention` reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illusa trated and/or described.

` In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a bed warmer illustrating an embodiment of my invention and showingl the same applied to a blanket.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the invention drawn to a somewhat greater scale than Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and drawn to a still greater scale.

Fig. 4 is a plan sectional shown in Fig. 3.

The customarymanner of heating beds has been to place a heated metal member within the view of the structure bed or to employ an electric heating element which is applied to the bed. The former method is extremely awkward and inconvenient, while the latter method produces an appreciable iire hazard and `frequently causes injury to the user.

` The present invention overcomes thesediiiicul ties by providing a construction in which the heater is disposed exteriorly `of the bed and air heated by the heater is directed into the bed.

In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown my invention applied to an ordinary blanket,4 the outline of which is indicated in dotted lines at 30.

i My invention comprises a blower unit I II which includesa-blower II constructedfwith,aoasel I3 having an inlet" I4`," andi a dischargenozzle, I'5l Within the casef I3` is mounted arotor I6`whicli draws; air in through theinlet,` I"4.andl discharges *5f thefsame. through the` outlet` I5. The case' I3fj is supported Aon a vertical standard. I'I whichis.` attahed to a basejI.; The case I3" is formedwith a boss I`9 through which thefstandard. I L'Iiextends and is held in position.v on the saidy standard ,by

10 means" ofl a setscrew i` 2IV screwed into` theiboss LIB; The rotor IB' of blower II is mounted ,.on. the armature shaft 22 of an electric motor 23.' Motor 23 is mounted on the case I3 of blower II and is supported thereby. Any suitable type of motor f may be used for the purpose.

To the inlet of blower II is "attached a heater 24 which has a discharge outlet 25 and an inlet 26. The outlet 25 is formed with a flange 2l .which overlies theunder portion of the Vcase I3 of blower II and is'attached thereto by means of screws 28. Within the heater 24 is disposed a coil of `resistance wire which is arranged in the path of travel ofthe air and which serves to heat the air as the same passes through the heater. Inasmuch as the construction of the heater forms no particular feature of the invention, the details have not been shown in the drawing and any suitable construction may be used for the purpose.

It will readily be comprehended that if desired,.a central heating plant may be employed with suitable ducts leading to the room or rooms in which the bed warmers are to be used and tubes or conduits connected to said ducts and to the inlet I4 of the blower I I.

vAttached to the outlet`I5 of blower II is a union 3| which has secured to it a nipple 32. These parts are best shown in Fig. 2. `The nipple 32 has secured to it a feed tube 33 which has attached to it three distributing tubes 34,` 35 and 36. These latter tubes have openings 3'II in the same whichy permit ofthe escape of air from the distributing tubes, the air being discharged therefrom along the linear extent thereof. The end of the feed tube 33 is closed, while the ends of the distributing tubes 34, 35 and 36 may be left open. My improved bed warmer is preferably applied to a blanket as illustrated, which is designated by the reference numeral 3|). For this purpose the feed tube 33 and the distributing tubes 36 are constructed of resilient material and are attached to the blanket byweaving the Woof 38 of the blanket about the tubes whenthe blanket is made. With my invention, the openings 31 in the tubes are directed away from the blanket, so that the 55 same will serve to discharge the air downwardly when the blanket is applied to the bed. If desired, the blanket may be permanently left on the bed during use of the bed by the sleeper or the same may be removed when the bed has been properly heated.

In the use of the invention, the blanket 30, together with the distributing tubes 34, 35 and 36, are placed in positionA upon the bed. If the blanket is to be used merely for warming the bed, the same is placed upon the lower sheet of the bed and the bed covers, including the upper sheet, blanket, etc., are placed over the same. The blower unit l0, including motor I3, blower Il and heater 24, is next adjusted on standard I1 to a height corresponding with the height of the nipple 34 and the tube 33 connected to the inlet I5 of the blower Il by means of the union 3|. The heater 24 may now be energized and the motor caused to rotate, which produces movement of heated air through the blower and through the distributing tubes 34, 35 and 36.' The air entering these tubes is discharged outwardly through the holes 31 and into the space between the sheets of the bed. In this manner, the bed is warmed so that the same is in suitable condition for immediate use upon removal of the blanket.4 If desired, however, the blanket may be placed above the upper sheet or above one of the blankets resting on the lower sheet and allowed to remain permanently on the bed, giving the user the continual advantage of the heat produced by the blanket.

The advantages of my invention are manifest. A simple and practical construction results, which may be manufactured at a nominal expense. The entire construction is adjustable as to height, whereby the invention may be used Iwith beds of any height. The invention may be incorporated as a part of a blanker and merely applied to the bed when the occasion arises. With my invention, all hazards of re or injury to the patient are completely eliminated.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I Claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A bed warmer comprising a blanket constructed with warp and Woof, a number of flexible perforate tubes extending parallel to the warp, said tubes being woven into the blanket and means for directing heated air into said tubes.

V2. A bed warmer comprising a blanket constructedwith warp and Woof, a number of flexible perforate tubes extending parallel to the warp,

said tubes being woven into the blanket, the woofs thereof alternately passing about said tubes on the opposite sides thereof and means for directing a heated medium into said tubes.

EDWIN BAGNALL. 

